Hitting the Genealogy Road

June is here and many people are starting long and short genealogy research trips. We wanted to bring you a half dozen tips as you prepare to go.

1) Bring as much of your research information as you can, without bringing original documents and photos. Nothing is worse than discovering that you need a piece of information that is in your files at home -- unless it's when you discover that you left the only photo you have of Great-Aunt Sally, who died as a toddler in 1898, in the library photocopier.

2) Make sure that information is organized and that you know what information you seek.

3) Take a flash drive (or two!) with you. Many places have scanning capabilities and you can download images onto your drives. Digital cameras, are a good idea, too. But make sure your camera, as well as your computer, wallet, etc. are secured. Genealogists usually won't steal anything but your ancestors, but thieves look for distracted researchers.

4) Be aware of what to wear. It's summer, 80, 90, 100 degrees outside and light shirts or shorts seem logical. But many institutions keep their research rooms very cool, so light sweaters or jackets may prove useful.

5) Before you leave home, get the addresses and directions to the places you want to visit. Many institutions have websites with this information, as well as their hours and basic policies.

6) Don't center your trip around one specific research problem or source. Be prepared with a back up research plan should you run into a brick wall.

Those are our six tips. How about you? Care to share a tip about tooling down the Mother and Father Road?